Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American animator, television producer, and film director. He was most famous as being a production and character designer for Walt Disney Productions films such as Sleeping Beauty, and later at Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he designed the characters for shows such as Scooby-Doo and eventually became a director and producer.

Biography

Takamoto's father emigrated from Hiroshima to the United States for his health. He returned to Japan only once, to marry his wife. Takamoto was born on April 29, 1925 in Los Angeles, California. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Takamoto's family, like many Japanese Americans, was forced to move to an internment camp. They spent the rest of World War II in the Manzanar internment camp. It was there that Takamoto received basic illustration training from a couple of friendly co-internees.

Takamoto first entered the cartoon world after the end of the war. He was hired as an assistant animator by Walt Disney Studios in 1945. Takamoto eventually became an assistant for the legendary Milt Kahl. He worked as an animator and character designer on such titles as Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians.